The present invention relates to educational analog computers. Most other analog computers are bulky in size and weight, difficult for a beginner to understand and time consuming to program and implement. Over the past 20 years their sizes and weights have not been appreciably reduced, nor their complexity simplified to allow, for example, a teacher of mathematics to carry one like a book to a classroom for demonstration of examples and exercises. Even a simple second order differential equation may be tedious to program and implement by a teacher or student. Their hardware is not exposed, their artwork does not show what needs to be patched, what components are to be inserted and what needs to be connected to what, in order to complete a circuit and indicate why he may have undesirable positive feedback. Soldered components are used and the circuits within a computing module are soldered and cannot be conveniently modified, replaced, updated or repaired. Their amplifiers, multipliers, integrators, inverters, comparators only can be treated as "black boxes". Because of its organization and flexible design features, this computer enables the integration of the teaching of electronic circuit design and computer programming techniques in one neat package. Because circuits within a computing module may be easily modified by simply adding resistors, capacitors and diodes, fewer operational amplifiers are needed to implement a particular system than are needed with other analog computers. Thus the computer package can be smaller in size.
This computer enables an educational institution to provide students with a broader range of skills more quickly and efficiently. It simultaneously provides a knowledge of the workings of an analog computer, operation of control systems, knowledge of principles of physics, analog computer programming techniques, electrical circuit performance, including debugging thereof, and solution of linear and nonlinear differential equations.
The inventor is concerned about student motivation. This computer can be a basis for helping students to develop oral and written communications. The student can have an opportunity to explain his problem to others, explain the proper approach to implementation and explain the interpretation of the computer's results to others. Through its use, the student can be taught a number of truly important concepts and techniques in the handling of engineering problems while maturing and developing the proper technical attitudes. His discipline need not be too restricted, as he has an opportunity with this computer to improvise and build upon the circuitry provided. Also, with the terminal strips provided the user has an additional opportunity.
Years ago circuit theory was the central area of electrical engineering. The ultimate end product of the engineer was a circuit. Today circuit theory is still important but the most frequent end product is something beyond a circuit. It is an electronic system in which integrated circuit building blocks are used. With this computer the student has the opportunity to include both circuit theory and building blocks in his experimentation. Hence, this laboratory provides an education in circuits, in control systems, in computers and mathematics, including differentiating between transient and steady-state solutions.
In electrical engineering this laboratory provides a "hands on" education in current, voltage, power, energy, resistance, inductance, capacitance, Kirchoff's laws, linearity, superposition, transform methods of solution, dc circuits, step input, impulse input and harmonic excitation, time- and frequency-domain characterizations, periodic wave-forms and filtering. New circuits can be designed and used as part of a system. In control systems, an education in feedback principles can be provided, as applied to linear systems, servomechanisms, automatic controls. This laboratory can be used in conjunctionn with good textbooks on automatic controls, differential equations, operational amplifiers and analog computer programming. Other applications, such as bioelectronics, biomechanics, will become apparent as the user becomes more familiar with the computer's operation and performance.